Crimes de guerre en série pratiqués par un Etat hors la loi

Ref: 44/2006
Date: 21 May 2006

Time: 07:30 GMT

5 Palestinians Killed and 4 Wounded by IOF in Gaza City and Balata Refugee Camp

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have escalated their attacks on Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Five Palestinians, including three women and one child, have been killed as a result of these attacks in the past 24 hours. Three members of the same family were killed and four other members wounded in one of these attacks.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF extra-judicially executed a member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, in Gaza City on Saturday evening, 20 April 2006. This attack also killed three Palestinian civilians and wounded four others, all from the same family. PCHR’s accountant was passing by the area at the time of the attack but escaped injury. IOF admitted responsibility for this attack, claiming that the targeted man was responsible for developing Grad-type Katyusha rockets.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 18:35 on Saturday, 20 May 2006, a Palestinian civilian vehicle (a Mitsubishi) was traveling north near a house belonging to Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahhar, the Palestinian Foreign Minister, in Sinaa’ Street, Gaza City. In the meantime, another civilian car (a white Mitsubishi), in which a Palestinian family was traveling, was coming from the opposite direction. When the two cars approached each other, an IOF aircraft launched a missile at the first car, killing its driver. Shrapnel from the missile also hit the second car, killing three civilians (a woman, her daughter and her grandson), and wounding four others. Later, the victim in the first car was identified as Mohammed Sha’ban al-Dahdouh, 28, a prominent member of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. The three victims in the second car were identified as:

1. Hanan Mohammed Aamen, 45;

2. Na’ima Mahmoud Aamen, 25; and

3. Muhannad Mohammed Aamen, 4.

Those who were wounded were identified as:

1. ‘Emad Hamdi Aamen, 39;

2. Mohammed Hamdi Aamen, 30;

3. Mo’ayad Mohammed Aamen, 3; and

4. Maria Mohammed Aamen, 2.

PCHR’s accountant, Rami Abu Sha’ban, was passing by the area in his private car, when the attack took place. His car was only a few meters only away from the targeted car at the time of the attack, but he escaped injury, although his car was damaged.

In the West Bank, IOF willfully killed a Palestinian woman inside her house in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 01:00 on Sunday, 21 May 2006, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They took position at the entrance to the al-Jammasin quarter in the center of the camp. At approximately 04:15, Subhi Abu Musallam, 50, left his house to go to work in the vegetable market. When he saw IOF positioned in the area, he decided to return home. His wife heard footsteps approaching the house, so she went to the second floor and looked through the window to check that it was her husband coming back home. As soon as she looked through the window, an IOF soldier willfully shot her dead with a live bullet to the head. According to Palestinian medical sources, the bullet that hit the victim was of an explosive nature.

PCHR strongly condemns these attacks and is gravely concerned over the recent escalation of Israeli attacks in the OPT. PCHR asserts that such crimes serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence in the region. PCHR calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to stop such crimes and reiterates its calls for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to meet their obligations to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the OPT.